I don’t know who Allen is, but his video resonated strongly with me.  Not only is it an example of fun with physics, but it also got me thinking about the relationship between marketing & sales teams.  But first, the video:

Every individual in your marketing & sales teams have their roles to play and strengths to add to the group.  Each person can be thought of as a pendulum as seen here in the video.  At first the pendulums swing in a nice wave motion…it’s visually appealing to behold.  After a while, things start to get more discordant.  Before long, each one is doing its own thing.  Luckily at the end, they get back on track with the cool, “we’re working together”, wave motion.

Here are a few ideas on how to keep your pendulums, your marketing & sales teams, synchronized in the right pattern and working together:

• Communicate clearly the value proposition(s) and messaging for your product & company.  Ensure they are understood by everyone on the team.
• Hold regular calls with the sales & marketing teams together.  If your teams are too big to make that practical, then ensure that there is some representation from sales at regular marketing dept. meetings and vice versa.
• Marketing personnel should regularly co-travel with reps in the field.  Many marketers do not understand the isolation and challenges which come with being in the field.
• Prior to unleashing new marketing communications tactics, preview them with the field.  Ensure sales knows ahead of time what messages their current & prospective customers will be seeing.
• Sales reps, give constructive feedback to marketing on marketing communications, product performance, etc.  Don’t just say something sucks.  Tell us why it sucks.
• Stay focused on the organization’s vital fews.
• Perhaps above all else, foster an environment where sales and marketing personnel realize and believe they are on the same team.

It is crucial that your marketing and sales teams are working together and are in sync with respect to your company’s message, value propositions, and image.  Luckily even if they do get out of step, they can be led back into a harmonic rhythm. 

What tips do you have for ensuring sales & marketing teams stay synchronized and harmoniously work together?